Training Speed with Accuracy

Three pistol targets after some training of speed while still being accountable for accuracy. Photo courtesy of Shin Tanaka.

I was recently surprised by the insight of a Facebook post on the topic of balancing speed and accuracy in training. Not surprisingly, however, was that it came from my buddy, Shin Tanaka. A USPSA Limited Class Grand Master, gifted machinist, 1911 gunsmith, and contributor to Recoil Magazine, Shin is about as well rounded as they come. His post caught my attention as it quantifies a method of balancing your speed and accuracy when it comes to training. According to his post, using USPSA scoring zones, he uses the point system in USPSA to measure whether or not he is being too conservative or pushing his limits. So assuming 5 points for A zone, 4 points for BC zone, and 3 points for D, and 0 points for a no shoot or miss, Shin uses a percentage score to determine whether or not he is pushing his limits. 93-97% of max score is the goal. Above 97% means you need to push the speed harder, and 93% means you need to dial back the speed.

I found this concept to be quite useful, as it can be applied to any scoring system. Just make adjustments as necessary. It uses the obvious, yet seldom actually used concept of using your target results to dictate your speed. If you are shooting 100% accuracy, that is great but you are likely shooting well within your comfort zone. If your goal is to improve your skill set and speed, then you need to push faster. But how fast? Using a measurable system such as Shin’s allows you to work your speed but set a narrow margin of “acceptable misses”.

Now before you put me on blast and tell me that no miss is acceptable on the street, note this is a training method. It is designed to force us to push our limits in training so we know of what we are capable and just as important, of what we are not. We get lots of flak from some folks saying technical skill is not important because tactics or mindset or threat assessment blah blah. I agree, all those things are important. Being calm under fire, and being able to assess the threat and make proper decisions are all very important. These things are trained through scenarios, discussions, debriefs, etc., But we are talking about the range, where we are working on technical ability. If technical skill is not important, why go to the range at all? As stated in my previous article on technical competence, skill at arms (this includes speed), gives us time to make the best decision possible while under duress, all other things being equal. If you suck at assessing threats, or are a horrible decision-maker, all the skill in the world will not help you. But you are equally up the proverbial creek if you have the best assessment skills in the world but your ability with a firearm is so atrocious that you have an equal chance of shooting yourself as you do hitting the bad guy.

Back on topic. Speed and accuracy are always at odds with each other. The above system works with USPSA target scoring, but can be modded to whatever target you are shooting. Look for that 93-97% point value, which seems to be a nice sweet spot. If you are shooting steel, or another target where it is scored all-or-nothing hit or miss, record your hit rate and if you drop below 93%, slow down. This is just a guideline, and can be adjusted for what you are trying to achieve. Note that this concept is really for the more advanced shooter who has a solid grasp of the fundamentals. If you are struggling to hit an 8-inch circle at 7-yards with no time limit, you need to work on your marksmanship fundamentals before confusing the issue with speed. So if your skills are up to it, go out, shoot, and tell me how this works for you.